Town Square

Sorting Trash - My Compactor

Original post made
by Tim, Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Sep 16, 2009

I have a compactor in the kitchen. If I throw my recyclables in the compactor (except for glass) and then compact it to save room, is that acceptable to the garbage folks? Can they sort compacted stuff?
Tim

Posted by Ken in South Pleasanton
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 17, 2009 at 8:27 am

The garbage service traded out my normal trash can for a recycle only can yesterday, leaving me with no place to put my regular trash. Guess the regular trash doesn't matter anymore. This will certainly beautify Pleasanton streets.

Posted by Long Time Resident
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 17, 2009 at 12:18 pm

Amazing! Have you looked at your GARBAGE BILL lately? It's going up but the services at the dump is going down with less employees... We have to do more work for them (sorting stuff) but we have to pay more!! Are the residents so dumb that the PGS can fool us... less service (less employees) but more cost for the garbage service? Someone is making oodles of $$$'s somewhere... Can we get Pleasanton City Council to launch an investigation on this?

Posted by Long Time Resident
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 17, 2009 at 5:27 pm

Whether it was approved by the City Council or not, it doesn't really matter. Does the general population know what is up? PGS is doing less for us, we do the sorting instead, getting a rate hike to boot. Do the math... someone is pocketing a lot of dough!

Posted by curious
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 17, 2009 at 9:10 pm

I believe Councilman Matt Sullivan was involved in meetings with PGS developing this recycle scheme as well as the rate increase structure. I totally support recycling but this plan doesn't make sense to me given the need for a third truck to drive a route to pick-up the gray garbage can with the blue lid.

The scary thing is that if too many residents convert their garbage can size to a 35 gallon can, PGS will need to raise the rates again to offset the loss in income from the smaller cans. Recyling is great but this seems fraught with problems not thought through by Sullivan and those involve.

Posted by Another Gatetree Resident
a resident of Pleasanton Valley
on Sep 18, 2009 at 8:20 am

I have a simple solution for everyone. If sorting is a problem, if where to put the bins in your home is a problem, and if you question whether you can use your trash compactor all while complaining about your bill, don't do any of it. Put all your waste in the one "regular trash" can. Let PGS sort. Last time I checked the plan was voluntary, just as the little kitchen green waste can use was voluntary. Wanna know what happened to mine? It went in the "regular trash" can and was immediately returned to PGS.

The PDF about the program at this Web Link specifically states it remains a voluntary program. If you think your rates are too high, make PGS earn it! Furthermore, the PDF states you are not required to use PGS. You can discontinue service and haul your trash yourself for a $5.00 annual permit fee.

Posted by Teresa
a resident of Grey Eagle Estates
on Sep 18, 2009 at 10:28 am

Long Time Resident,

You ask who is making $$$$ on the trash deal. There are only two possibilities - PGS and the City Council members. My guess is that its both. At any rate, it was the Council that approved it. Another reason to give the council members that voted for it, and her royal highness (lowness?), the left-wing-loon hippie mayor the boot at our first opportunity.

Posted by pleasantonian
a resident of Del Prado
on Sep 18, 2009 at 11:24 am

Tim- just call PGS to get an answer to your question about compacted recyclables.

The new system is supposed to help more items be recycled and not go into landfill. Please don't dump everything into the one trash can!

I"m not thrilled about having a 3rd can in my side yard, but it is better than other systems, such as 3 open trays for newspaper, aluminum and plastics-that other cities use. They overflow, get wet from rain, etc. This 3rd can will be easier and neater to use.

Perhaps with more items recycled, PGS would get more income and possibly reduce residents' fees. Let's try it and also keep an eye on whether there is a greater rate of recycling.

Posted by Sherry
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 18, 2009 at 6:16 pm

This is what's currently sitting in my garage; can someone explain what the heck is going on?

- a green yard waste container
- a blue-topped recycling container
- a container like my old garbage container, only it's got the 'recyclables only' sticker slapped to its top. This sticker appeared the last time my garbage was hauled off.

So we quite literally have nowhere to put trash since we have TWO recycling-specified containers. What the heck is up with that? Is it an error? Do I need to call the city?

Posted by Stay Cool
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 18, 2009 at 7:06 pm

We had a recycle only sticker placed on our garbage can after the last pickup, leaving us with a green waste bin and apparently a recycle bin. I called PGS and was advised to continue putting garbage into our original bin (the one with the new recycle sticker) until October 1. That's when all other bins will have been delivered and the program will begin.
We received our third bin (for garbage) today.

"The new recycling cart will be used exclusively for mixed paper, cardboard, aluminum beverage containers, steel or tin cans, aluminum foil, glass and plastic bottles. Earlier this summer, Pleasanton households received a notice in the mail requesting selection of either a 35-gallon or 96-gallon collection cart for refuse. Residents who have elected to keep a 96-gallon trash cart will receive a new recycling cart. Residents who changed from a 96-gallon trash cart to a 35-gallon trash cart will receive a new 35-gallon trash cart, and their existing 96-gallon trash cart will be marked with a new recycling sticker and converted to a recycling cart. Your cart selection will determine the amount of your future Pleasanton Garbage Service bill beginning in October 2009."

Posted by Tango
a resident of Vineyard Avenue
on Sep 19, 2009 at 12:19 pm

Someday I intend to follow one of these recycle trucks back to the dump and watch them dump it all in the same hole as all the other trash. I sware that is what they do. I may be wrong but with a little observence I think that is what they do. I hope some one can prove me wrong.

Posted by Country Fair resident
a resident of Country Fair
on Sep 20, 2009 at 9:22 am

The new "blue lid" 96 gallon can that is being delivered to us now is for glass, cans, plastic, cardboard, newspapers, etc. According to GPS, we can start filling it up now, but it will not be picked for the first time until October 1. After that, it will be picked up weekly.
The program does involve a little bit of work on our part to separate things. Any recycling system or method requires some extra effort. People who believe in the value of recycling will take the extra few minutes. Some people will just dump everything into their household garbage can, as is their right in this voluntary system.
Some cities give each residence 3 or 4 bins to separate different types of recyclable material (paper, glass, metal, etc.). In those cities, too many people tend not to bother.
Hopefully the 1-can system here for all recyclables will be better than that and will get more voluntary participation by more residents.

Posted by Grace
a resident of Highland Oaks
on Sep 28, 2009 at 9:37 pm

So we've had our new "blue-topped" recycling bin for over a week and a half now, and have been dutifully sorting our garbage out and now our recycling bin is overflowing and our garbage can is less than 1/2 full. Since "October 1" is the start of this program and since our regular pickup is tomorrow morning, what the heck are we supposed to do with the full, overflowing blue bin for the next week, plus all of the recyclables we collect between now and next Monday night? Seems that two and a half weeks between delivery of bin and pickup to sort and stockpile recyclables was a bit of a mistake?

Anyone else in the same boat? We're putting them both out and they can do with them what they want.

Posted by Irritated
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 29, 2009 at 9:17 am

The garbage company says they will only use 1/2 of the recyclables
since supposedly that is all they have found a market for. The rest
is bound for the landfill. It isinteresting how other cities don't seem
to have this problem. Again, just another reason to charge us more
money, lay off personnel, all under the guise of going green!

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